Holiday favorites are returning to the Salem area this weekend, and there’s also chances to learn about the galaxy or enjoy a local theater production.
Here’s your guide to events for Friday, Nov. 16, through Sunday, Nov. 19.
Turkey trot
Costumes are encouraged at this year’s Turkey Trot, which starts at the Riverfront Park Pavilion the morning of Saturday, Nov. 18. The event is put on by the city’s parks and recreation department.
The 10k starts at 9:30 a.m., the 5k starts at 10 a.m. and the 1k starts at 10:30 a.m. T-shirts will be available for $10 at the event, and are first come, first served.
The park is located at 200 Water St. N.E. Registration is $1 for the 1k, $5 for the 5k and $10 for the 10k. Sign up online.
Learn something new
Chemeketa Community College’s planetarium is a 35-foot dome featuring projections of stars and planets.
The current show, “Phantom of the Universe: The Hunt for Dark Matter,” plays this Friday at 7:30 p.m. The show’s introduction includes a talk about Salem’s current night sky.
The planetarium is located in Building 2, Room 171 on the Chemeketa Campus, 4000 Lancaster Drive N.E. Tickets are $5 for adults and $4 for children and Chemeketa students. Tickets are sold at the door starting 15 minutes before showtime and there are no reservations. For more information, see their website or call 503-399-5248.
Are you a budding thespian? Salem’s Pentacle Theatre is hosting a singing workshop on Saturday that will focus on what to expect during auditions and what directors look for.
The workshop will be hosted by longtime Pentacle directors Heather Toller and Jeff Witt, and will be Saturday, Nov. 18, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. The theater is located at 324 52nd St. N.W.
Participants must be 14 or older. Registration is available online.
The Salem Public Library is also hosting its monthly Lego party from 2 p.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday, in the Story Rooms in the Main Branch at 585 Liberty St. S.E. The event is unstructured playtime for kids, free and no sign-up is necessary.
Enjoy a performance
Amenta Abioto, a singer, songwriter, producer and performance artist, will perform at the Bush House Museum on Saturday. Her show combines vocals, kalimba, synthesizer, drum machine and guitar.
The event is hosted by the Salem Art Association, and will include food and drink. It will be Saturday, Nov. 18, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. The museum is located at 600 Mission St. S.E.
Tickets range from $15 to $100, and are available online.
Salem’s Historic Grand is hosting a one-night-only screening of a movie about the “mysterious” paranormal activity in the building. The show starts at 8 p.m., and the theater is located at 187 High St. N.E. Tickets are $5, and available online.
Louis Pearl, “The Bubble Man,” is coming to Chemeketa Community College on Sunday, Nov. 19, at 2 p.m. His show combines art, magic and the science of bubbles, according to the event description.
Tickets range from $12 to $17, and are available online. The college auditorium is in Building 6 on campus, 4000 Lancaster Dr. N.E.
Get into the holiday spirit
Drive through over a mile of holiday light displays at the Magic of Lights experience at the Oregon State Fair and Exposition Center, opening Friday. This year, scenes include a Holiday Barbie display, Bigfoot Monster Truck and life-sized dinosaurs, according to Travel Salem’s event page.
The light displays are open Monday to Thursday from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., and Friday to Sunday from 5:30 p.m.-10 p.m. Starting Dec. 8, it will be until 10 p.m. daily.
Tickets are priced per car, so carpooling is recommended. From Nov. 17 to Dec. 7, tickets at the gate are $30 on weekdays and $35 Friday-Sunday, with a $5 increase from Dec. 8 to Dec. 31. Tickets are available to purchase online for a discount.
Santa Claus is coming to Silverton. The Silverton Christmas Market opens Friday, along with over a million lights and its popular German Christmas Market offering even more gifts from vendors and imported nutcrackers and ornaments.
Activities include a snowless tubing hill, which is steeper than last year. There is not ice skating this year. Tickets range from $5 to $8 for children and $15 to $20 for adults depending on the day, and are available to purchase online. The market is held at the Oregon Garden Resort, 895 W. Main St., Silverton.
Do some shopping
Consider 1,700 unique pieces of handcrafted pottery and wood turnings at Willamette Art Center’s “Empty Bowls” event on Saturday, Nov. 18, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The event will be at Cascade Hall at the Oregon State Fair and Exposition Center, 2330 17th St. N.E.
The sale includes bowls, ceramic planters, dishes, vases, mugs, pitchers and more. The artists volunteered the pieces, and proceeds will support Marion Folk Food Share and the Willamette Art Center.
Shop for specialty foods, crafts and local products at the ShowBiz Salem Holiday Expo, which features over 100 exhibitors, including restaurants, breweries and distilleries. There will also be live entertainment.
The event is from noon to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Admission and parking is free. The expo will be in the Jackman-Long Building at the Oregon State Fair & Exposition Center, 2330 17th St. N.E.
Wavra Farms and Nursery is hosting an indoor farmers market each Saturday through mid-March, featuring local jewelry, foods, produce, crafts and more. The market is from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 7882 Jordan St. S.E.
World Beat’s inaugural Holiday Night Market is Saturday, Nov. 18, from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Willamette Heritage Center, 1313 Mill St. S.E. The event sought vendors with “winter holiday or cultural heritage connection.”
Catch a play
Friday is opening night for the Pentacle’s production of “The Play that Goes Wrong,” a popular British comedy. It’s a play-within-a-play where the cast forgets the lines and dodges failing stage equipment.
The play “is a fun challenge for our talented acting ensemble – and an absolute blast for audiences,” Pentacle director Susan Schoaps said in a press release.
The play runs Friday, Nov. 17, through Saturday, Dec. 9. with 7:30 p.m. shows Wednesday, Nov. 22, and Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, with a 2 p.m. Sunday matinee.
Ticket prices range from $17 to $37 and are available online, at the box office or by calling 503-485-4300. The Pentacle Theatre is located at 324 52nd Ave N.W.
West Salem High School’s production of “The Lightning Thief,” a musical based on the best-selling book, continues this weekend. The show follows Percy Jackson, the half-blood son of a Greek god, for “an action-packed mythical adventure worthy of the gods,” according to an event description.
Shows are Friday at 7 p.m., with a 2 p.m. matinee Saturday. Tickets are $14 for adults and $12 for students and seniors. Buy them online here. 1776 Titan Dr. N.W.
Blanchet Catholic School’s production of “The Curious Savage” has shows Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students. Children under 10 get in free. Tickets are available online.
Art in Salem
For the art shows and crafts workshops in Salem this month, see our roundup of gallery exhibitions and events here:
Contact reporter Abbey McDonald: [email protected] or 503-704-0355.
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Abbey McDonald joined the Salem Reporter in 2022. She previously worked as the business reporter at The Astorian, where she covered labor issues, health care and social services. A University of Oregon grad, she has also reported for the Malheur Enterprise, The News-Review and Willamette Week.
